WORTH WATCHING

Birbiglia & Glass Fire Back at Joss Whedon for 'Sleepwalk with Me'

Now this is getting good! Just a couple of days ago, The Avengers director Joss Whedon decided to stir up some trouble by asking audiences to request the charming indie comedy Sleepwalk with Me (from comedian Mike Birbiglia and "This American Life" host Ira Glass) at their local theater and then boycott it. Whedon doesn't want the few hundred screens he has left for his superhero ensemble disappearing, and he's worried about this film taking over the $1.5 billion box office the Marvel film has accumulated. Now Birbiglia and Glass are on full alert and have the math to back up their battle to beat the box office record.

Mike Birbiglia writes, co-directs and stars in Sleepwalk with Me, based on the comedian-turned-playwright-turned-filmmaker's own one-man show and book of the same name. Birbiglia plays a burgeoning stand-up comedian struggling with the stress of a stalled career, a stale relationship threatening to race out of his control, and the wild spurts of severe sleepwalking he is desperate to ignore. Produced and co-written by Ira Glass (NPR’s “This American Life”) the film also stars Lauren Ambrose, Carol Kane, James Rebhorn and plenty of other great stand-up comedians. The film hits limited theaters on August 24th. Be sure to see it!